Tiltable furnace mounts



March 21, 1967 E HUWYLER ET AL TILTABLE FURNACE MOUNTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Sept. 25, 1964 INVENTORS J JJLWQWMM March 21, 1967 E uw ET ALTILTABLE FURNACE MOUNTS Filed Sept. 25, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

INVENTORS Heinrich Wen eL BY w,JWw&/PM4M ATTORNEYS United tates Patent3,310,298 TILTABLE FURNACE MUUNTS Ernst Huwyler, Baden, and HeinrichWenzel, Fisiisbach, Switzerland, assignors to Aktiengesellschaft Brown,Boveri & Cie., Baden, Switzerland, a joint-stock compan Filed Sept. 25,1964, Ser. No. 399,272 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Sept.30, 1963, 11,992/63; Germany, ()ct. 4, 1963, A 44,214 2 Claims. (Cl.266-36) When in connection with smelting furnaces it is necessary torecondition the furnace body or crucible, this requires several days inthe case of large furnaces. The result is that the furnace has to betaken out of service during this period. In order to avoid this, mostfoundries provide a number of spare crucibles or furnace bodies whichcan be used as required.

With the conventional form of smelting furnaces, the furnace body isfixed in a tilting frame by means of bolts which in the case of largefurnace units are large and heavy. It is therefore an arduous andlengthy operation when the furnace body has to be removed and replacedby a new one. Furthermore, before this operation can be undertaken, itis generally necessary to remove part of the furnace platform which isconnected to the furnace crucible and tilting frame.

An object of the invention is therefore to provide an arrangementwhereby it is possible to exchange the furnace body in a very simplemanner without having to loosen any screw connections.

A further object of the invention is that the connection between thefurnace body and the tilting frame should be such that the furnacecrucible can be tilted for pouring purposes without the risk of thecrucible slipping out of the tilting frame.

With the above and other objects of the invention in view, the inventionconsists in the novel construction, arrangement, and apparatus, oneembodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings anddescribed in the specification.

FIG. 1 shows an elevational view of a smelting furnace.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the upper part of the furnace unit,partly in section.

FIG. 3 shows the furnace body in elevation when withdrawn from thesupporting frame.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of part of the furnace unit.

The smelting furnace unit consists essentially of a tiltable frame 1which supports the furnace body 2. The frame 1 comprises two lateralbeams 5 and two transverse struts 6 which are welded together to formthe frame structure. The frame 1 which is tiltable is provided at thefront end of each lateral beam 5 with a pivot 7 located in the top ofthe furnace stand 8. Each lateral beam 5 is connected by way of a pivotbearing 9 to the piston rod of a hydraulically operated tilting cylinder10 which can swivel about the axis 11.

The furnace body or crucible 2 is supported within the tilting frame 1.For this purpose each lateral frame beam 5 is provided with a pair ofsupporting pins 12, rigidly fixed to the beam for instance by welding,which engage with corresponding pockets 13 rigidly fixed to the outsideof the furnace body 2. These pockets 13 are in the form of U-shapedslots so arranged that they are 3,319,298 iatented Mar. 21, 1967 lCCinclined to the vertical axis of the furnace and are open at the lowerend.

In order to insert the furnace body 2 into the frame 1 it is suspendedfrom a crane hook as shown in FIG. 3 and displaced slightly off centrewith respect to its final position within the frame. The furnace body islowered gradually, whereupon the pins 12 engage with the pockets 13 andthe furnace body comes to rest on the pins as as shown in FIG. 2, thatis to say it is now in the operational position. In order to remove thefurnace body 2 (from the tilting frame 1) for the purpose of replacementor repair, it is merely necessary to hoist it out of the frame withouthaving to loosen any bolts or fixtures.

When the furnace has to be tilted for the purpose of discharging themelt from the furnace crucible 2 by way of the spout 15, the furnacebody is tilted together with the frame 1 about the pivots 7 by means ofthe tilting cylinder 10 until it reaches the position indicated in FIG.1 by the chain lines. Despite the fact that the furnace body 2 is heldin the frame 1 only by means of the supporting elements 12, 13 withoutany rigid connections, the shape and arrangement of the bearing pockets13 prevents the pins 12 from slipping out of the pockets even when thefurnace body is in the pouring position.

It is of course to be noted that the invention is not restricted to theconstruction shown and described, because obvious modifications willoccur to a person skilled in the art. For instance it is possible toreverse the position of the supporting elements 12, 13 so that the pins12 are then located on the furnace body 2 and the bearing pockets 13 onthe frame. In this case the pockets have to be reversed so that theopening of the pocket is at the upper end. Furthermore in the case ofsmall furnace units it is conceivable that it will be sufficient if onlyone pair of supporting elements 12, 13 is provided at each side of thefurnace instead of two pairs as shown in the drawing.

We claim:

1. A device for smelting metals, comprising a furnace body and atiltable frame for supporting said furnace body, and cooperating meanson said furnace body and said tiltable frame respectively, for holdingthe furnace body in the frame during the operation of the furnace, saidcooperating means consisting of pins which engage with correspondingopen slots which are inclined with respect to the vertical axis of thesmelting device, whereby the furnace body when in the vertical positioncan be lifted freely out of the frame but is restrained when the furnacebody is tilted.

2. A device as in claim 1, characterized in that at least two pins arerigidly fixed to the tilting frame which cooperate with inclined openslots located on the furnace body with the openings of said slotsdirected downwards.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,463,171 3/ 1949Guggenheim 248 2,472,251 6/1949 Houghton 248-14-0 2,813,693 ll/ 1957Puddicombe et al. 248-14l 3,149,959 9/ 1964 Nicholson 266-38 JOHN F.CAMPBELL, Primary Examiner.

M. L. FAIGUS, Assistant Examiner.

1. A DEVICE FOR SMELTING METALS, COMPRISING A FURNACE BODY AND ATILTABLE FRAME FOR SUPPORTING SAID FURNACE BODY, AND COOPERATING MEANSON SAID FURNACE BODY AND SAID TILTABLE FRAME RESPECTIVELY, FOR HOLDINGTHE FURNACE, BODY IN THE FRAME DURING THE OPERATION OF THE FURNACE, SAIDCOOPERATING MEANS CONSISTING OF PINS WHICH ENGAGE WITH CORRESPONDINGOPEN SLOTS WHICH ARE INCLINED WITH RESPECT TO THE VERTICAL AXIS OF THESMELTING DEVICE, WHEREBY THE FURNACE BODY WHEN IN THE VERTICAL POSITIONCAN BE LIFTED FREELY OUT OF THE FRAME BUT IS RESTRAINED WHEN THE FURNACEBODY IS TILTED.